…the end.

December 18, 2010 – 6:24 am
By emmamackenzie | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Everything is rushing in; memories, emotions…water.  Yes water, can you believe it?  I was expecting to come home to snow instead I get a flood, in December!  Even so it is good to be home, where I am able to process the last two months in a familiar and comfortable environment.

Although in the beginning I had no desire to go to Southeast Asia with my classmates, I am glad I did.  I will say it was difficult being on the other side of the world from home, staying in the houses of people we had never met and who barely spoke English (Thai home-stay), and spending all day nearly every day with the same thirty people.  I am thankful to those of you back home who did pray for what I asked you to pray for, patience.  It is obvious you did, because if you hadn’t I wouldn’t have made it past the second week.  Although I do seemingly have a lot of negativity, I can say with one hundred percent certainty I enjoyed this trip.  The experience is a once in a lifetime chance I am extremely thankful for, and given the opportunity I would do it again in a heartbeat (with some minor changes :) ).

Emma

It’s Always a Joy

December 17, 2010 – 1:52 pm
By Janell | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

I am not a person that enjoys not knowing. I strongly dislike the unknown, I am uncomfortable with it, frustrated with it, it exhausts me and even scares me at times. I struggle when I don’t know; I search and sometimes forget to be patient and trust. When I say the unknown I mean not knowing what time we’re leaving, where we’re going, how my friend is really feeling,  and what God has in store for me this day, week, year, for my life. Most any unknown I do not enjoy. But, I’ve learned that for me, living in the unknown is a huge challenge for me. In my opinion challenge is one of, if not the greatest, opportunities for growth, and for this, I appreciate every challenge that comes my way, (even if at the time I want nothing other than to escape from it).  If you have any idea what the Asia trip is like, you will know that it is very much the unknown, in the big and small ways.  Most of the two months I spent in Asia, I was living outside of my comfort zone, WAY outside.

Living through the Asia trip pushed me. It pushed me beyond what my limit was, it stretched my limit to new areas of exploration, adventure, knowledge, emotions, friendships and my spiritual walk.

Through the grace of God I was able to let go some of my fears and embrace the experiences and challenges that were placed in front of me.  I have been challenged all the way through from the intensive classes during the month of September, constantly through the two months abroad and now this past week trying to write papers as well as process what I have experienced and how it has changed me. I have been challenged academically, emotionally, relationally, physically, and spiritually, frankly, I am exhausted. But as difficult as it has been, I believe it has all been worth it, well it will eventually all be worth it.

To finish I just want to say that I don’t believe I can take credit for how I handled everything that came my way during this experience. It wasn’t me that tackled the many barriers along the road through Southeast Asia, it was God working in me, it was ALL God.

James 1:2-4

“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for JOY, for when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

My hope and prayer is that you too shall see the opportunity in challenge and not let challenges keep you from living the life God wants for you.

Blessings,

Janell

Rethinking Identity

December 15, 2010 – 6:03 am
By zackingles | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Well, I’m home now. Unfortunately I brought a souvenir that I wish I hadn’t. Putting that aside, spending the last ten days in Canada has really put into perspective the Southeast Asia trip.  I find myself noticing things that I would have never batted an eye towards prior to the trip. I walk in and out of stores and see those charity baskets that promise better lives for those living impoverished in third world countries and I think to myself “I’ve been there, I’ve seen it, I lived in the midst of it.” I feel as if I could have done so much more to make a difference. I think I’ve begun to realize that simply existing in my own life is no longer an option after this trip. I need to exist with a mindfulness for the rest of the world.

I can definitely say that the home-stay experience that I had while in Laoag and Chiang Mai will not leave my memory. The privilege to live in the home of a local and live life as they did, to a certain degree, is actually indescribable. However, I know that won’t suffice for readers of this blog so I will dive into some detail. In the Philippines I was woken up every morning by roosters and dogs. I hated it at the time but recalling it now I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And I just need to say that there is something refreshing about an ice cold shower.

While in Chiang Mai I had the opportunity to go with my home-stay family to an eight hour, traditional Buddhist service that has forever changed my outlook on and respect for Buddhism and its followers. Their devotion to their faith is without question the most devote I have ever seen.

So as I try to assimilate back in to Western Culture I’m having a hard time. I see and attempt to do things that were so natural, and even innate at times, and just can’t in right consciousness do it. I’m more aware of my place in the world and how it effects others. Something that wouldn’t have been possible without SSU’s Southeast Asia travel term.

Z

Wait While I Percolate

December 14, 2010 – 11:57 am
By Genevieve | Posted in 2010 Comments (1)

I always have trouble writing the last blog for these travel trips because it feels like I’m supposed to sum up everything I’ve experienced into 150 to 200 words, or I should have some kind of new and profound thought about the world.

In my world, my profound thought is that I’m back. I’m back from two consecutive travel trips that took me to two very different parts of the earth.  Over the past ten days I’ve been having flash backs of standing in the sparkling King’s palace in Bangkok, suddenly I’m gazing up at the Sistine Chapel, then I’m flying on a wire for 800 meters over an Asian juggle, now I’m watching the deep blue Italian coastlines turn into the breathtaking hills of Austria…

I’m back, sitting in my temporary room in St Croix House, surrounded by clothes that I haven’t seen since last year, finding old jeans I’ve forgotten about and realizing that in two days I need to have all of it packed up again to take back to my home, home. A home I haven’t lived in consistently for over a year. I’m back in one community and not yet back for another. A community of people I have missed so tremendously at times that I’ve experienced moments filled with sensations of my insides wanting to burst with such great anticipation of getting to see them all again.  However, their lives have been moving forward very differently from my own:  new babies, new houses, new animals, new plans, people gone, people leaving, people who’ve come back.  I’ll be entering into a place of familiarity, yet so much will have changed there and in me that I have no way of telling how familiar it will feel.

I am also leaving a group of people who I will only get to see all together at the same time in the same place one more time when I come back to celebrate their graduation four months from now.  The bitter-sweet tastes of life fill my mouth today.

I’m back and not back, leaving and coming home…

The experiences I’ve had over the last six months will continue to percolate.  And I imagine they will begin to create a really great pot of coffee that I will be able to share and enjoy with my friends and family and whomever else walks over holding out a mug. But for now I need to be patient, you just can’t rush a good cup of coffee.

Genevieve

Well that was much-needed.

December 13, 2010 – 6:33 am
By Sara C. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Even as we began our pre-travel intensive studies, I recall realising how little I knew about Southeast Asia before that.  I was context-less.  It was very different going on the Europe travel semester.  Even if there was a certain teaching that you hadn’t heard before, you’d have some background knowledge of at least something that would help you make sense of it.  This was not necessarily so, at least for me, with Southeast Asia.  (Please forgive me, those of you who never wanted to hear another Europe-Asia comparison ever again.)

This helps me to recognise our tendency to get caught up in our own little worlds sometimes.  There’s a sense in which I can understand it.  I think it’s a human tendency to focus on that which most greatly affects us.  We would become overloaded if we didn’t.

Still, there’s something about stepping outside of our own immediate worlds (whether mentally or literally) that’s very good for us.  Individually, it allows us to open our minds.  Corporately, it has the potential to help humanity reconcile differences by building understanding.

I’m grateful to have been taken out of the Western hemisphere for a time.  I brought many of my Western ideologies with me, but they were constantly ground down, questioned, destabilized.  Uncomfortable?  Often, yes.  But also much-needed.

(I should note that there were many in our group who did not approach the trip in this way.  Several of them were well-versed in Southeast Asian history, politics, and/or culture long before we even started.  I say this in all honesty to those of you who fit this description: I give you kudos.)

Sara

What words could grasp this?

December 12, 2010 – 6:35 pm
By Joel S. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

This will be my final blog as a traveler and as a pilgrim with St. Stephen University. I had so recently traveled through Europe this past summer, and it seems like only days have passed since I arrived from being in Southeast Asia this fall. I am among a handful of students who decided to travel to these two completely different areas in a time span of 4 months.

What words could grasp what I would like to express right now?

This is the first blog post for which I don’t have words. What happened in the last 4 months is unlike any 4 months I have ever experienced (and probably ever will experience, due to the unique travel context SSU offers). What is now entering my mind are fragments of pieces of culture, growth, knowledge, understanding, lessons, and difficulties, too. As I begin to process these things, different memories of specific moments stand out at different times (there are so many of them). Some of the most recent memories include riding on the backs of elephants through Thai hill sides and across Thai rivers.

And now, I remember the distinctive characteristics of my two different home-stay families (one home-stay was in the Philippines, one was in Thailand – both were phenomenal, but altogether entirely different in terms of their family environment, worldview, and means of hospitality).

Q. After what I have seen and learned, how can I possibly continue to view the world as if inside a box? I must remember that there is always more to know.

So my eyes have become prisms. I have noted before that I have discovered the world to be a greatly complex and intricate place. I have grasped this in a way that has required the experience itself, and cannot be adequately measured or expressed in words, only. I have taken gifts which will stay with me for the rest of my life, allowing me to recognize a world outside of my own, one that is filled with a multitude of angles and perspectives, colors and shades. What this certainly will do, is provide me with a more enhanced means of analyzing and interpreting my own worldview.

Who I am, at my very core, has been broadened.

Here I go. Signing out.

Joel

“Well, that was interesting.”

December 12, 2010 – 11:29 am
By Liam | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

All I can say after Thailand is
“well, that was interesting.”

The language barrier was incomparable to anything I have ever experienced, the cuisine was the most unique amongst all the countries visited, and the evident history – and awareness of it – was astounding.

Please allow me to dispel the belief that I have negative opinions about my experience. I mean only to say they were a challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed being given Thai lessons by my home-stay, even if the lessons extended no further than picking up an object and telling me its Thai name. I got used to the food, as it was reminiscent of that consumed in the Philippines. I haven’t told anyone this yet, but I am 98.76 % sure I ate scorpion in a salad one afternoon…Thai crab limbs are not that small and certainly not black…and that’s awesome!

Living in a Buddhist culture was enriching to the purpose of learning that Christianity is not the only faith to be fragmented and confused about what is going on in regards to its organisation. Animism influences rural Buddhism, while the royal courts are influenced heavily by Hinduism and the average Thai is somewhere in-between. Simply put, there is no uniformity, which is refreshing; not because I take joy from their confusion, but for the first time I view Buddhism in a perspective I can understand: human.

As for the King, [I am censored from my actual opinion because of a law that prevents me from saying anything that may paint him in a bad light, and while I do not have ill wishes ufor him, I do wish to comment on the fact he is the RICHEST Monarch in the world - look it up - and yet his people are quite, quite poor. I smell injustice.]

One night in Bangkok, all of us walked to a dinner prepared for us.
On the way, we passed through crowded street markets filled with the urban poor. I noticed one man that we all passed by who sat begging; he with one leg.
Some Thais tossed coins into his cup without looking at him.
As I began to pass him, I was compelled to drop to my knees, facing this man;
as I looked him in the eye, I gave him part of my wallet.

I was unable to stop crying the 10 minutes thereafter back to the hotel, which was made less – and more, if we’re considering my pride – embarrassing by April’s presence. God broke my heart for this man.

There are so many lessons myself or anyone can interpret from this excerpt of my life:
but just remember that our wealth was given to us for a reason.
Let’s use it for good.

Liam

Reflections

December 12, 2010 – 6:27 am
By chelseadickey | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

A week ago I was bicylcing around a temple, gazing into the reflective pools of water and contemplating the history of that ancient place. I now gaze into a Maine stream as it flows beside snow covered banks. I wonder how time moves on so quickly.
Yet, time will move on and as this travel term comes to a close I gather the gems of this trip together for one final look. The Paoay children’s playful spirit as they ran around the church courtyard before their choir practice, skyscrapers without end in Kuala Lumpur and intricately woven family ties in Chiang Mai.

This is where I, we, have been.
And now, where are we going?
We have all been shaped by this journey. I hope that we will all let it change us and continue to, and that we will grow.
Time moves fast, we must take time to reflect, there is a season for everything, everyone is a part of someone else’s movement through this life, let us never forget to grow and change and move together, wherever the waters of time may have us float.

Chelsea

Breathing in Airports

December 11, 2010 – 12:57 pm
By Selina Mullin | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Here I am, finally home in Canada; back to the cold.

And, let me tell you that moment when I walked up to the border guard, the relief I felt as I handed him my passport.

It’s funny that, when travelling it felt as though there was no real difference between one place and the next. Now, I don’t mean any literal differences but in the feelings I had. This trip was such an epic experience, yet most of the time my brain felt as though there was no difference between Laoag and Bangkok from Halifax.

And, I do mean literal differences aside. Comparing the skyline of Kuala Lumpur with that of Laoag and Halifax, the foods, the customs…it was all a drastic change. Yet, in the midst of all this, on the surface how casual and normal it all felt. Part of me wonders if this experience was so overwhelming with the stimulation of all that was different and new that my body just decided to block it all out. That, or maybe it just filtered it so that I could process it slowly, let it trickle in so that I’d be able to take it in when I was ready. And, it wasn’t until the moment when I realized I was home, I was back to the usual, that I could give a sigh of relief at the intense and incomprehensible world I had just come out of.

I think that sigh was a sign that I’m officially ready to process everything that’s been thrown at me. Finally home, I am able to experience the wonder that was.

Selina

Melaka is the new Malacca

December 11, 2010 – 6:55 am
By Liam | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

What is this blog about Malaysia doing here amongst the Thais?
Short answer, when this blog was due, I was suffering from a sunburn.
[And I'm tardy.]

Now, I mean an equatorial sunburn. Not a Canadian beach sunburn.
Those who were there – you know…
For those who weren’t, let me tell you this:
yes, you can get cankles from a sunburn,
and yes they can keep you from walking for three days.

But I would not trade that sunburn for anything.
Why? Well let me share something I learnt that awfully hot day in Melaka
-and if you get nothing else from this entry, then that is fine -
THE BEST WAY TO ABSORB A HISTORY IS TO BE IN THAT PLACE.

Melaka was the port of destination of ships from England to Korea, from the 15th century onward; it was hailed the Venice of the East.

Today it is simply an industrial port city, with dirty beaches,
and  its historical significance is lost on people.

This maddens me.

How is it my colleagues and friends in Ontario do not know a thing about Melaka?
Do you, the reader, know a thing about Melaka?
I can never know for sure.

All I know is I stood in the waters of a beach on the Straits of Malacca –  in the same waters that moved along the traders of Iberia, Britain, the Low Countries, Arabia, India, China, Korea and Japan. And in that moment, the reality of what I had read of this city came to life; this was once a great place.

I think we can all honour the city’s legacy by at least recognising it’s name when it arises in conversation. It has a worthy legacy, and our own ancestral history could be linked to the trade that once happened there.

Amazing to think that the world was small even 500 years ago.

Liam

Seven Seconds

December 10, 2010 – 10:34 pm
By nadyapohran | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

On October 8th, three days before leaving Canada for South East Asia, I wrote in my journal: “I am leaving for South East Asia in three days. Above all else, I am determined to not put this trip within a “box.” I do not want to limit my experiences, nor do I want to categorize a multi-faceted excursion by one single experience–as good, as bad, or as ugly as it may be. This trip seems like a crystal prism to me: so many sides you can look through; so many ways to reflect the light, creating different results from the same source.”

I was reminded of this promise to myself at several points throughout the trip, as some moments were indeed “good”, others “bad,” and still others were quite “ugly.” There were times, such as in the hilltribes, were it was all I could do to not repeat the words over and over again: “I LOVE it here! I LOVE it, I LOVE it, I LOVE it here,” sleeping under the stars, bathing with fresh stream water, and eating off of the food provided by local land. And there were times (I won’t get into specifics for this one) where I, in all my dramatic aires, was determined that life could not possibly get any worse than it was at that exact moment….(and then it did. Ah, so great.)

Still, there were times where I had no idea what was happening, and it was perhaps during those moments that I experienced a glimpse of what pilgrimage was; entertaining questions like “where am I going? What is the journey’s end? How long will it take? How long will we stay for? ….Should I have brought toilet paper?” Questions of all varieties, importances, and significance filled my mind and yet I simultaneously knew they could not be immediately answered. ??And now I’m back in Canada. And it’s cold. And I can understand people when they speak, and they can understand me. And…excuse me??? There are toilets and toilet paper and the toilet flushes and I can actually flush the toilet paper??!?! And there are bathtubs and lots of Caucasians and there is good peanut butter!! And lentils!!!!!!!!! And pizza!!!!!!!!! Pizza that doesn’t give you food poisoning, even!!!!!! Ahem. Pardon me. *Composing myself.* What I mean to say is this: coming back to Canada had felt like re-entering a strange dream; the people and places and activities are all vaguely familiar and yet there is an eerie quality to near-everything.

Meanwhile everyone (yes, that’s right, everyone!!!) I reunite with has asked me “How was your trip?” as if I could answer them in the seven-odd seconds allocated in the West before it seems awkward to still be standing around not doing something productive. And I know I can’t really answer that question without taking at least an hour, and wouldn’t even be able to answer it fully if given a day, so I choose to give the most truthful of answers I can provide when given seven seconds to do so: It was life-changing (here, I pause for dramatic affect as well as to push the 7-second limit) and I can’t wait to go back.

Nadya

Awake.

December 10, 2010 – 6:06 pm
By juliaroberts | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Here I am, at five in the morning, awake.

Just one of the many little bonuses to a twelve hour time difference is that you get to be awake at unreasonable hours of the morning, and because there is nothing else to do, decide to write your final blog. So here I am writing my final blog in the dark, because the sun does not rise in Canada until 7:30 –a completely unreasonable hour for the sun to come up if you ask me.

Anyway, yes. Final blog. Asia. Because I am back from the other side of the world of course everyone I meet is going to be like “Hey! How was Asia?”and of course I will reply that it was awesome, unforgetable, a wonderful experience, because there is nothing else I can say in a short two second blurb that will sum up everything that I have experienced on this trip. So I have to write this blog about my time in Asia…  The one thing I have learned that I have to do is to choose treasures, little jewels of the trip that I pick out and highlight, and hold up to the light so I can show whomever wants to know what a small part of my time in Asia was like. They do not necessarily have to be perfectly cut and polished pieces, but can be rougher, more uncomfortable ones that are not always seen for the value they have.

One of those pieces is the realization that I am now awake, aware and uncomfortable. I know that this is a good thing, but that recognition does not make it easier to live with.  I am aware of and have met people who believe just as –if not more– sincerely in their God than I do in mine, and it makes me uncomfortable. I am conscious of the fact that items I consider to be really cheap and inexpensive will feed the seller’s family for a month, and it makes me uncomfortable. I know that there are native people groups that are taken advantage of and marginalized by their governments, and I am uncomfortable.

As long as I talk about these things I will not forget, I will not become complacent, content in my own world and forgetful of theirs.

I am awake, aware, and uncomfortable; I hope I stay this way.

Julia

Complexities and Contradictions

December 7, 2010 – 1:55 pm
By Walter | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

I am very grateful to have had the privilege to join the SSU study abroad trip to Asia as it spent the last three weeks in Thailand. Joining with great fellow travellers and welcomed by a diversity of gracious and friendly hosts from Chiang Mai University and the Mountain View Guest House, I was able to experience a culture quite unlike any I had known before.

One aspect that I especially appreciated was being able to experience firsthand aspects of a Buddhist culture. Encountering again and again the complexity and contradictions that make up an ancient faith gave me new eyes with which to consider the complexities and contradictions within Christian cultures of which I have been a part.

Looking at its history, it is easy to understand the value of Buddhism as a response to a Hindu culture that tended to be divided between a harshly ascetic path or the more common life filled with a mixture of pleasure and suffering. The Buddha offered a middle way that provided a path to free people from ever-present suffering. It provided a philosophy of life that steered people away from self-centred desires and taught them how to use meditation to empower them to live and think well.

However, the purity seen in the history and philosophy of Buddhism is generally not seen in practice. For the most part, people seem to need practices and rituals which are less abstract and rational. So we see all kinds of religious activity in the temples which the monks tell us “is not really Buddhism at all.” The monks tell us, “we don’t pray to the Buddha – we simply pay respect and then meditate,” and then we pass a sign in a temple that says, “3a.m. – Pray to the Buddha.”

These kinds of contradictions are not unlike those we see in Christianity. We have showy cathedrals with gilded crosses to remember the Christ who taught humility, and I often think that this “is not really Christianity at all.” Or I consider many of the traditions that Christians split churches over or those who “believe for a new Cadillac” (or Lexus nowadays, I suppose), and think that it must be very complicated to get a true picture of the teachings of Jesus based on what Christians practice.

One of the things I learn from this is that the purity of profound teaching and lifestyle – whether Christian or Buddhist – is not easily accessible and empowering for most people, and so it is very easy to add layers of ideas and behaviours that make up a good part of our religions that are not really true to the spiritual heart of the faith. Our challenge is to diligently, creatively and prayerfully develop practices that are accessible and empowering and that genuinely represent the heart of Jesus.

Hello goodbye

December 7, 2010 – 1:02 pm
By emilybaker | Posted in 2010 Comments Off

Hello goodbye. It’s time for this traveler to place her roots and unpack the boots. The airplane has landed and there are no more buses to whisk me away. The long road less traveled has been traveled. Home sweet home awaits. Though it’s not as I remembered. The roads are less chaotic; the air is cleaner. The sun is farther away; the stars are closer. That far off land from the King and I has come to life. I have traveled the world and have gotten to know a different culture. My mind has expanded, and my thoughts have grown. The next step is up to me. Do I continue on in this western mentality? Do I consume until I have consumed no more? Do I just run past people on the streets and don’t even see their faces or do I sit back and think what are they thinking? The choice is up to me. Am I going to stay on this path or am I going to go the other way?

Pinocchio

December 6, 2010 – 10:57 am
By nygelmetcalfe | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Parts of our lives exist only in pictures and symbols.

Thailand is a place on the globe in my home, or perhaps the inspiration for a flavor of curry some weekend. Filipino is a reference in a Black Eyed Peas song. Malaysia is a word on the label of my new t-shirt or on a sticker plastered onto the matching salt and pepper shakers I got my parents for Christmas. Really, though, these places are so much more!

Based on my own experience, I believe people need to engage their senses in order for something to become real to them. As I’ve been on the trip, the proximity and focus of living and learning forces oneself to acknowledge the reality of the people and places. It’s right in your face; it’s in sharp relief. I’ve been there, and some of you have been too, and know what I’m talking about. Others won’t be able to understand, because they have only read books and seen pictures of these places, but I have reached this conclusion: It’s tangible. Trust me.

Buddhism is real, the jungles are real, Thailand is real, Southeast Asia is real.

I have walked a small section of the streets, I have hiked a small portion of the landscape. I have experienced a meeting of minds with a breakdancing monk who articulated his religion for me in a way that was knowledgeable and concrete. I have engaged my being for a short while in what Asia means; What were only symbols have become tangible to me.

I expect that some things will fade away, in fact it’s inevitable. Familiar routine will seduce the weary traveler with a persuasive subtlety, events and facts will be less and less clear in memory. Despite this, I am determined to keep the integral parts intact and extract the precious from the insignificant.

I can only hope that every day back home I will be able to remember what resonated with me, and inspired me, and perplexed me, and changed the way I think the world works. I hope to continually forge anew the reality of Asia, not just as a foreign culture but for the lessons in living that apply to the whole of my life. Lessons like the inherent worth and dignity of every human, the beautiful variation of the global spectrum of art and opinion, the fact that a lot of ‘history’ depends on the person writing it and reading it, and the power of living peacefully.

If we meet face to face, ask me, and I will share a thought or two; I will paint a picture of my time here or I will explain a symbolic event. Until then, farewell.

Yours,

Nakarin (Nygel)

the conclusion to a journey’s beginning

November 30, 2010 – 2:34 pm
By graceturner | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

the conclusion to a journey’s beginning

when the journey leads you to gold statues

and robes of orange

strewn across bodies

of unknown men,

your feet stand but

your mind falls.

a woman can be seen sewing under

the canopy of a Thai tree.

Feverishly the tourist captures

what he may never understand.

The ways of the Buddha

are encapsuled in rooms

full of people,

full

of people, awaiting their Nirvana

their peace.

for me, this moment is where I find peace.

As I look to the blossoming tree:

colours of green, violet, and skin

remind me that there is always time for beauty.

(poem I wrote while sitting at a Buddhist temple)

This trip as it nears its conclusion has been a mixture of discovery, awe, confusion, and love. I feel that Buddhism is the religion in which I have had the chance to discover and question. Spending three weeks in Thailand I have already learned a lot about their faith. No longer is Buddhism this far East philosophy. I have witnessed through discussion and observation that Buddhism plays a major role in individual Thai life and society. As my homestay mother PiAnny (Aunt Anny) drives us the thirty minute drive from Chiang Mai University to her home in Sang Sai I see this Buddhism face to face.

As we drive out of CMU we pass a circular shrine, where a professor kneels and meditates. Driving further we  pass a grocery store, outside of it a spirit house sits. As we reach our home but before we enter we take our shoes off, as Ariel and I travel up the wooden stairs, to the left of our room, a shrine with pictures of famous monks, stares at us. Incence, candles and matches sit on the small table in front of it. For me these little reminders of Buddhism’s role in Thailand has been refreshing, I find that these physical reminders of their faith help to make it more tangible, more memerable. In Canada, as a Christian, these reminders seem to be hidden, sometime in my future I may be running to the grocery store and think ‘hey, I really wish I could just sit and pray for a bit.’ Although I believe God can meet us anywhere and everywhere it is cool to see these little reminders that Buddhists have created for themselves.

Grace

Mawage, oh, mawage (Princess Bride reference).

November 30, 2010 – 2:04 pm
By Joel S. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Hello, crew, friends, family, readers.

I will now answer to the things that have interested me lately through my stay in the illustrious city of Chang Mai, Thailand. More than any other place in Asia, I have seen a far greater amount of Caucasian people, Europeans, Americans, Australians, and the like. We are not viewed with the same type of ‘celebrity’ or ‘alien-like’ status as has been the case in the other SE Asian countries. One of the strangest observations, to me, is seeing the (many!) culturally intermixed couples where an older, Caucasian man is in relations with a young, beautiful Thai woman. To add more context, I will state the moment where a young Thai woman asked me (half jokingly, albeit half seriously) that she wanted to come to Canada with me to be my wife. It seems to actually be the case that Thai women will be much more inclined to marry a non Thai, and instead  European or American men.

I learned about the different Thai customs in marriage, where there is more emphasis for the Thai woman to act in service to her husband. My homestay father told me: “when a European man comes here to find a wife, he knows that he will get A) a wife B) a maid, and C) a nurse, all in one”. In contrast to this, in America and Europe it seems there is more emphasis on male chivalry (and, perhaps the notion that man and wife serve each other by equal measure – keeping a stable balance). However, given these things about Thai marriage customs, it makes perfect sense that a Thai woman would want a marriage that is culturally intermixed, likely as a liberation from these customs.

So, not only would she not feel compelled to abide by these customs, but she might find a man that acts in chivalry and in service to her instead, AND, it might be the case that he has a lot of money in his pockets. This also works in favor for the old American man who has experienced divorce and can then find a chance for love (can I call it ‘love’?) with a younger woman.

With this whole picture, I am left with mixed feelings, and am not exactly sure what to think. With all the variables at hand, what type of moral judgments am I to make? Perhaps there is nothing wrong with the old white man to desire a second chance at romance here in Thailand? (What would I do as an old, lonely man with no wife at his side?) Though, is this really the right type of liberation for the Thai woman? … ahem. Let’s step back for a moment. Why am I so interested in this? I don’t know. But it is plainly interesting. In any case, I do not mean this as a staunch critique of the Thai culture in general, as there have clearly been many, many things that I have come to appreciate with great depth, as well.

On a completely different note, from the Buddhist monks, I have grasped great treasures in learning about their methods of meditation. I will be sure to use them as a means of both relaxation and clarity of mind, even when I exit Asia and enter back into Canadian life. I am grateful for this, alone.

The adventure is almost over. How will I reflect on all that has happened in the spaces that come when I return home? How will I notice the changes within myself? Only time will tell. I look towards the future as a person who has gained treasures, who has truly learned and experienced, and who will – beyond any doubt – never be the same.

Joel

Karen guide: “You guys are good…you…you move at Villager’s pace”

November 30, 2010 – 12:39 pm
By gregrickard | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Blog – Monday November 29th 2010
Chiang Mai Thailand
Greg Rickard

With this blog I wish to comment and put words to the intangibility of mutual accomplishment. During our stay in the mountains with a Karen tribe, our group had the opportunity to take part in a jungle trek. Needless to say I was enthralled at the idea! Long had I dreamt of far eastern jungles, the thought of stumbling upon some ancient ruin that the jungle had reclaimed was, and is still, a very colorful aspiration. This thought returned to me as I tried to sleep through the incessant rooster calling that provided the lullaby to our village. Indeed, as the morning mist began to dissipate throughout the village, the smell of wood fires and boiling teapots filled in the ambiance. Soon after, the students began to gather.
The trek was on, through tall grass and over streams. Uphill we began to climb, slippery mud and hanging vines. Breath heavy and burning thighs. Further and further, upward we walked. Soon we reached level ground, though a satisfying view was nowhere to be found. Though this was acceptable at the moment, as any continued angling of our path would have been quite strenuous indeed. But wait! After a quick translation, we soon discover that our young Karen guide is indeed taking us to the scenic lookout/summit. Excellent!
From solid gravel to sliding pine needles we press on. A series of switchbacks laden with loose dirt is now our trail. Motivation sets in, a driving need to stay directly behind our Karen guide. My legs suddenly feel fifty pounds heavier. Further, faster, quicker! Go go go! The ground levels out…we are now on top of the Thai landscape! I immediately look behind me and find Daniel Beaudoin, who too has just arrived at the summit. I smile and throw out an open palm to him, which he receives and grips with equal intensity. In this moment, this holy moment, there is no need of words. All that we wished to say to each other was shared in a single moment of intangible communion through our suffering and accomplishment. It is this conquering, and this unspoken communion that I wish to continue to search for in the finally days of our trip.

night lights

November 30, 2010 – 12:19 pm
By Cara T. | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

Saturday evening of last week was a moment here in Thailand that I will never forget as I pushed my krathong (cylinder of a banana tree trunk) decorated with banana leaves, flowers and lit with a single candle into the river and it joined the thousands of others as they floated down stream. Then on Sunday night I stood out on the balcony of my homestay with one of my fellow travelers and watched thousands of flaming lanterns float into the night sky of a full moon together with fireworks spontaneously cracking in every direction. This is the time of Loi Krathong and Yi Peng here in Chiang Mai, two combined festivals that makes for one large celebration. I am told by my homestay uncle that the Krathongs are offered to the river as an apology to the goddess of water they have done to hurt the river while the lanterns are sent up as an offering to Buddah. Having this opportunity to participate in such a example of Thai culture has been amazing. It seems as though everywhere you travel there are always traces (sometimes very obvious, other times more subtle) of western influence. I have begun to appreciate experiencing festivals and other such holidays in various countries as it is a moment when they have pride in and exemplify their own culture and its traditions and the western impact gets pushed aside.

Cara

Floating Stars

November 30, 2010 – 12:05 pm
By Genevieve | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

The night sky was full of floating stars.  We had been seeing what are called khom loi (although most Thai people just refer to them as balloons) for a few days, but nothing like the scene this night presented.  As we approached the bridge the crowd began to thicken slightly.  There were people lining the railings sending colourful and noisy firecrackers off over the water, leaving a smokey haze in the air.  Again and again I would see glowing paper cylinders of different sizes rising out of the crowd and into the darkness.   It’s one of the coolest sights I’ve ever seen.

When we reached the bridge my host parents pulled out paper balloons for us.  Sarah and I took turns lighting the wax ring held by thin wires at the base of the balloons.   My Khun Pa held one side as we waited for the fire to produce enough heat to lift the  paper lantern.  While waiting for mine to have enough fuel for the journey I was the only one hanging on to the bamboo ring, testing it every few seconds by releasing my finger tips to see if it would float on its own.  Suddenly it was ready, I let go and my eyes were fixed on the white circle outlining the fiery center, with the darkest of blue as the backdrop.  In that moment I couldn’t see any other balloon but my own.  I could hear my Khun Pa chiming me to make a wish, “Ask for good looking boyfriend!”  I laughed and continued to watch as my orange balloon joined the thousands of other floating stars.

I had a feeling of surrealism, like I was in a movie except, I wasn’t.  I was standing on a bridge in the middle of Chiang Mai city, taking part in one of the traditional customs of  Loy Krathong, the largest and most beautiful festival of the year.  An incredibly unique experience!

Genevieve

Verbal Vomit

November 30, 2010 – 11:22 am
By Janell | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

I’m sitting on a balcony in the warm sun, I can hear the familiar sounds of birds chirping and passing vehicles on the road near by. Nothing really out of the ordinary, right? Wrong. Warm sun I say, well it’s nearly December and where I come from the sun is not this warm at this time of year. And hearing a foreign language come from the loud speakers of passing vehicles is not ordinary. Not to mention that three Buddhist temples can be seen from this balcony alone.

I’m in a place where I’ve experience so much. So many sights, sounds and smells. How do I even put it all into words? It’s not even possible.

In the last three weeks I’ve felt God’s omnipresence in a Thai Lana Church, but I’ve also felt him lacking in many Buddhist temples. I’ve sat in many lectures on the eighth floor of the humanities building at Chiang Mai University. I’ve lived with a Thai family for two weeks – I became a Canadian daughter, granddaughter, big sister and cousin to a Thai family just as they became family to me. I’ve spent a few days in the mountains in a Karen Hill-tribe Village. I’ve climbed a mountain, eaten rive for breakfast, lunch and dinner – not to mention that bug I had for a snack. I’ve seen God’s incredible creation in the mountains, jungle and animals. I’ve fed, pet, sat on, ridden elephants. I’ve seen them walking along the street or crossing a river in the mountains. Elephants have become ‘normal’ so to say. I’ve jumped into a river at the bottom of a waterfall and let the current take me down stream a little ways. I’ve sat upon, stood on and even steered a bamboo raft down a river. I have walked through so many markets. I’ve experienced and taken part in Loi Krathong festival.

I’ve been challenged. I’ve had hard times and good times. I’ve cried till I’ve been nearly sick, I’ve laughed till I nearly wet myself. :P I’ve seen other’s hurt and other’s joy. I’ve felt other’s pain with them and joined in other’s laughter.

Great conversation.

Special friendships.

Incredible growth.

This is an experience.

I don’t even know where to start…..

Janell

A Fresh Perspective.

November 29, 2010 – 12:18 pm
By arielscheer | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

I am already dreading that simple, expected question that I know will seem to haunt every conversation upon my return: “So, how was your trip?”

Honestly, I don’t know how to answer that yet. Its not a simple yes or no answer. It requires thought, a processing of some sort, and being in a state of reflection that I am just not ready for. Eleven days ago I wished to go home. I longed to walk the familiar hallways of my house, to reach into the fridge and eat real cheese, to turn on the t.v. and disappear into the monotony of daily routine. Eleven days ago I was ready to leave Asia, I was ready to end the adventure and return to ‘reality’. However it will not be more than six days before I am home, and only now am I realizing all the stuff I wanted to do, the things I wanted to see, the pictures I wanted to take. Living in the moment has been a growing theme for me during these past months, and I feel that with these last few days I am finally realizing both the challenge and the reward. My hope is that in these last few days I will take in my surroundings without analysis (that comes later when I am writing my paper for Frank), but instead with a sense of newness. A fresh perspective.

Ariel

Beautiful Luck

November 29, 2010 – 11:58 am
By JenObokata | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

If I believed in luck or thought that it was something that I could accumulate I’d be full of it right now…Luck that is. Who knew it would be so beautiful to gather either? I’m in the thick of the Loi Krathong festival which means that there are fire crackers and fireworks going off at any hour of the day or night and that there are paper lanterns strung up everywhere. Another thing that you can do to celebrate is go to a tropical paradise near a waterfall that is fed by a mystical spring of seven colours. This is where I got my first bi of good fortune by sprinkling my face and hands then playing in the waterfall of course. Then you can eat all day and night and live sabai style – “free-style” until its dark and time to launch homemade krathong (….) constructed of the trunk and leaves of the banana tree and flowers. I’m getting luckier. The last and by far the most beautiful thing that would have insured my eternal luck or rather the release of my bad luck, if I believed in such things,  is letting a miniature hot air balloon or …… go into the air and sail away . I can say this for fortune I have been fortunate to have these experiences.

Jen

Loi Kra Thong

November 29, 2010 – 5:52 am
By hannahnewson | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

One word to describe Thailand: Breathtaking. We spent our time here in Thailand during the Loi Kra Thong festival. Everywhere you look there are rows upon rows of lanterns. Floating on river are these massive balloon like characters of dragons, flowers, and many other creatures. Almost bringing to life a fantasy world. Between the broken down old walls there are stages with dancers and musicians, surrounded by colourful elephants made out of cloth and lights. After going downtown and wandering through the parade, street stalls, and masses of people we came back to our hotel.  Relaxing in my room for a while and attempting to go to sleep, suddenly I had a burst of energy. Knowing there was no way I would be able to sleep once I was hyper I pulled on a shirt and wandered to the balcony. This was at around two in the morning, little did I know of the spectacle that awaited me. The stars were replaced with little fires and every once in a while there would be a burst of vibrant colours from the fireworks. Besides the occasional bangs of fireworks it was completely silent. It was peaceful and surreal. As each lantern burned up the air became lighter because as they burned up they took all the bad things of that year with them.

Hospitality At It’s Finest

November 29, 2010 – 5:26 am
By rosiesperling | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

(I have been rooming with Moriah, a very gracious partner)

We met our “mother” in the afternoon, she was shy and kept apologizing for her poor English. It wasn’t the best, but we didn’t care; we were not there to speak English, we were there to learn Thai, and Thai culture! We went home and met our “family”. Her son and daughter came out to meet us, they are 7 and 5, her mother was living there as well, and her husband came home from work later. Everyone was shy – but not for long! The next day when we came home from school, the kids ran out of the house and couldn’t wait until we were out of the car so they could wrap their arms around us, “Pi MoMO! Pi LoSIE!” they cried! We colored together, we played badminton, we let them play computer games on our computer, they fell asleep on us when they were tired, they taught us Thai, they lit firecrackers for us, we swam together, and they even ate the food off our plates. We made the most of our time with our little “brother” and “sister”; they in turn soaked up every minute they had with us, really, almost every minute. It was not only our mother and father welcoming us in to their lives, it was truly a family affair! On the weekends we would go out from dawn until dusk, seeing temples, animals, family rallies (you can ask, but I still don’t understand…) attending parties and celebrating festivals!

To have people let me into their small home, make and buy food for me for every meal, to trust me with their children, to bring me out and about to see the beauty and attractions of Chiang Mai, while still taking time to help me understand what life is like for them on a daily basis, was simply humbling.

From the bottom of my heart, thank-you Pi Nan and Pi Poy, Toon and Katen!

So an elephant walks into a bar…

November 29, 2010 – 4:51 am
By Julia Roebbelen | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

…fireworks are set off with old Thai men, we climb the highest mountain in the country, we sit on elephant’s heads. We get tattoos, we get spun around by mustached men in pumpkin costumes. All these things and experiences mean so much to me – but the real thing about Thailand – about this trip – is communication. I have been so frustrated by the miscommunication – or the altogether lack thereof – on this trip. Museums turn into restaurants with no warning, Robert rants about sci-fi literary devices, our homestay sister drops us off and leaves us in random places and locations, and no matter what, most of the time I have no idea what’s going on. But when I do, there is this epiphany of clarity that comes over me, and I can turn to my Thai friend Pi, and we can say, “We understand one another, we GET each other”, and it is inextricably beautiful. This miscommunication happens worldwide – even in North America – but when we gain this clarity and understanding it means so much more to us. We take communication for granted, and when we are thrown into a world where you have to use more than words to get the point across, there is an incredible learning curve, riddled with grace and forgiveness, which is extremely humbling. I hope that more people in our world today can experience this uncomfortable miscommunication, but learn to understand that this is part of the growing process, and once growth is attained and understanding is achieved, words and actions mean that much more to everyone involved.

A Poem

November 29, 2010 – 3:50 am
By kellyzuidema | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

A girl finds a piece of road

in the middle of the market

crushed amongst the rush

of people purposely searching.

The cup in front of her

hopes for coins of silver;

people push past, wandering

in oblivion’s encompassing cloud.

She folds her hands and sways, speaking Thai

people of the market hurriedly walk by

shopping bags their bracelets, they do not try to divert their eyes

from the fruit on each booth, which deafens her cry…

for justice.

I wanted to ask the girl her name,

but I was afraid

so I kept walking too…

Kelly

Candles, Lanterns and Gunpowder

November 28, 2010 – 1:56 pm
By Selina Mullin | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

My little brother turned eighteen on the 3rd. Dad and I were talking about it a couple weeks ago when I had a chance to finally phone home. He mentioned, with glee, that he had given my brother the chance to acquire his pyrotechnicians license as a present. Once you’re eighteen you can take this safety and technical course for your pyrotechnics ticket in Nova Scotia; something a gunpowder hungry teen-aged boy would just love.

This juxtaposed my weekend of the 21st. It was Loi Katom (one way of spelling the Thai Festival of Lights) and my homestay family took me out to celebrate. This animist/Buddhist celebration is best known for floating candles and flowers down rivers, snakes of flame winding down into the pinnacle of night. It is also famous for the large tunnel like lanterns which float like sodium-light stars into the night. In brevity there’s a lot of fire during this weekend, and a lot of firecrackers too.

I was horrified by the uncontrolled sale and use of minor explosives by adults and minors. Seeing young boys shoot small fireworks at tourists’ legs. Watching pedestrians walking into misaimed crackers or the kind of sparklers you spin around like a whip.

The lights in their colorful brilliance outshone the full-moon, and reared from my throat more yelps and squeals of terror than a bucket of frogs in my bed. Yet, the vigor with which I saw the Thai people celebrate the water and the sky and the good things nature gave them, like light, was astounding. They VERY literally like to do things with a bang.

I said to my roommate in the midst of utter chaos and brilliance, we aren’t in Canada anymore!

there’s community and then there’s COMMUNITY.

November 28, 2010 – 5:44 am
By emilybaker | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

We are asleep. The sun is not yet up. It is 3 am and the rooster begins to crow. To us this is foreign and annoying. Who would ever want to keep theirroosters under where they sleep when the only thing in between you and that rooster is a sole wooden board? Let’s just say our morning began earlier than we thought. As we awake, we step out of our wooden house and see the hills and the trees. We are in a Karen village. They live so simply, but they sure know how to live. They live in a community.  A true community, a place where they share everything and help one another out. Together they work and play and help one another survive. Without one another, they might not make it. We could learn a lot from this community.

Emily

Monk Friend

November 28, 2010 – 4:34 am
By danbeaudoin | Posted in 2010 Comments (0)

One Friday on our trip we were all brought to a temple to teach English to a group of Buddhist monks. The interaction was a little awkward at first while we tried to feel out their level of English and figure out what we should be teaching them.  After a while we got comfortable with one another and started to have some fun with it.  Once we were done,  it was time for the monks to go have lunch.  As we were walking back to our songthaew (these little red pickup trucks that we always drive around in) a monk (who was also a teacher) struck up a conversation with me.  By the time we had arrived back at the vehicles I had been invited by him to show me around the temple area, which was also an elementary/high school for monks.  Everyone else loaded into the trucks, but I stayed behind and visited with my new friend.  After a while we walked to his room where we had some lunch and watched a movie.  While I was sitting there, I was blown away by just how lucky I am.  There I was sitting in the room of a Buddhist monk at a temple eating instant noodles and watching some Jaws knock off.  I had never in a million years thought that I would find myself in a situation anywhere close to this.  A great part of this is just how comfortable I felt.  With some religions I find them very hard to grasp and even creepy or dark.  But with this Buddhist I felt almost at home.  We share so many morals in common,  yet we have very different reasons for having them.  I also have a great deal of respect for this guy.  He is trying to live at a high moral standard.  Isn’t this what all Christians are trying to do?  Or at least say they are trying to do?  Although I believe that he is missing some key elements such as God, Jesus, and the very important concept of grace, he is trying to do just that, which is a lot more than a lot of “Christians” can say.

Dan